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Greater New York Watch

Updated Dec. 15, 2010 11:38 p.m. ET

New York City

Disabled to Get Taxi Cabs

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to try using yellow taxis to transport disabled people, a move the agency says will help it rein in the rising cost of providing car and van service to people who can't use its subways or buses.

Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
made the idea part of his 2009 re-election campaign.

Federal law requires the MTA to offer alternative transportation options to disabled people if they can't use its existing system. To do that, the agency runs a program called Access-A-Ride that pays companies to pick up passengers in cars and vans. Each ride costs about $49. The average taxi ride will cost $15, officials said Wednesday, and riders will pay $2.25.

—Andrew Grossman

Manhattan

Doctors May Strike At Harlem Hospital

Harlem Hospital is preparing contingency plans to continue operations if doctors decide to strike over a contract fight, city officials said Wednesday.

Negotiations between the physicians' union and Physician Affiliate Group of New York, a private corporation picked to run the hospital by the city, broke down last Friday. Maureen Connelly, a spokeswoman for Doctors Council S.E.I.U., the doctors' union, said 75% of the 200 unionized doctors at the hospital approved a petition to authorize a strike vote.

On Thursday, union officials will meet to review the latest contract proposed by Physician Affiliate Group. The current contract expires at the end of the year.

If the doctors decide to strike, it "will cause significant disruptions," said Alan Aviles, president and chief executive of the city's Health and Hospitals Corp. which runs public hospitals. About 40 to 50 non-unionized doctors would continue to work, he said.

—Joseph De Avila

New York City

New Budget Cuts Ordered

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's budget director ordered city agencies to slash their 10-year capital budgets by 20%, his aides revealed Wednesday after the state and city comptrollers raised warnings about ballooning deficits.

"We must reduce the plan for capital spending which drives capital borrowing and its resulting debt service cost on the city operating budget," wrote Mark Page, the budget director, in a memo to agency heads.

In a report, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli noted that the city's debt service is expected to grow from $5.2 billion in the current fiscal year to $6.7 billion in fiscal year ending in June 2014, marking an increase of 31%. At this rate, the city's debt burden would be at its highest level in more than a decade, Mr. DiNapoli concluded.

City Comptroller John Liu in his report found that "significant risks" in the mayor's budget plan may lead to larger than expected out-year budget gaps.

—Michael Howard Saul

Manhattan

Not-Guilty Plea Filed In Columbia Fraud Case

A Bronx man accused of stealing more than $5 million from Columbia University by fraudulently redirecting school funds into his own bank account pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

George Castro,
48 years old,
﻿
entered the plea during a brief appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court. A grand jury indicted him on felony grand larceny, money laundering and criminal possession of stolen property charges.

Each of the charges carries a maximum of 25 years in prison.

Mr. Castro, who remains held on $2 million bail, did not speak in court aside from entering his plea.
Alissa Boshnack,
who represented Mr. Castro in court Wednesday, referred all questions to lawyer
David Fisher,
who did not return calls seeking comment.

Prosecutors have alleged that, during October and November, Mr. Castro redirected dozens of payments from Columbia to New York Presbyterian Hospital, and then to a bank account he controlled.

Greater New York Watch

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to try using yellow taxis to transport disabled people, a move the agency says will help it rein in the rising cost of providing car and van service to people who can't use its subways or buses.